


dark chocolates

by cantfoolajoker (lichmutual)



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Aragaki Shinjiro Lives, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-19 12:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22711132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lichmutual/pseuds/cantfoolajoker
Summary: It wasn’t a secret that Akihiko didn't like sweets.
Relationships: Aragaki Shinjiro/Sanada Akihiko
Comments: 5
Kudos: 76





	dark chocolates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cheshiure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshiure/gifts).



> this fic is a valentines day gift for the lovely @Cheshiure, who requested akishinji fluff for valentines day! it's based on a headcanon that i had where akihiko likes dark chocolate so shinjiro makes him dark chocolates for valentines day. enjoy!

It wasn’t a secret that Akihiko didn't like sweets.

Sure, that didn’t change the fact he was swamped with gifts from secret admirers and his fan club; it wasn’t like any of them really cared about him as much as the idea  _ of _ him. The ideal version of him would accept the gifts and comment about how good they tasted, but Akihiko always crinkled his nose when he opened up the box and smelled the intense sugar scent waiting to be unleashed.

He tried to take things in stride still, giving polite smiles and a few nice words to let the admirers down. Akihiko didn’t want to explain they were barking up the wrong tree, so he just kept it away from the whole topic of romance as a whole, explaining instead that his diet for staying fit didn’t allow for him to eat many sweets.

However, there was always a specific box that showed up every year without fail, catching Akihiko’s attention every time. It was rather small, only big enough to contain about six chocolates, colored a nice deep purple color that stood out amongst the reds and pinks. It wasn’t ever signed with a name; in fact, it wasn’t even signed with  _ from your secret admirer _ at all. 

The tag only read “to the Brawling Boxer, with hair as white as snow and a heart of gold”.

Now it wasn’t the tag that really caught Akihiko’s interest — he could disregard that just as much as all the other notes he got. What really set the gift apart aside from the box’s color was the way that he didn’t immediately recoil when he opened the box.

“Is there something I’m missing?” Mitsuru questioned, arms crossed as she peered into the purple box Akihiko was showing her.

“They’re dark chocolates!” he explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and when Mitsuru gave him a lidded look he groaned in annoyance at having to further explain. “Whoever gives me this box every year always has given me dark chocolates.”

“It’s fairly normal to receive different types of chocolates, Akihiko.”

“Yeah, but—” Akihiko frowned as he tried to articulate what he was thinking. “They’re the  _ only _ person who gives me them. It’s like they know I don’t like sweet things.”

“Well, maybe you have an actual admirer that cares about what you like,” Mitsuru said, confident in her answer.

That had been the first year of high school for Akihiko, which coincidentally was the last year he received those chocolates. Akihiko wondered if the gifter had simply moved on, as they were present for all of his middle school years as well. He couldn’t help but admit to himself in privacy that he missed their presence amongst the gifts he received his remaining two years, but he knew he wasn’t going to miss the fan club gifts. Now he didn’t have to feel so bad about the tiptoeing around feelings.

Now Akihiko was 19, grateful that his final university class for the day had been canceled. 

He could retire early to the little apartment he called home, where he’d be greeted by his boyfriend and the kid they essentially became the caretakers of. Oh, and he couldn’t forget Koromaru either. The space was very cramped, definitely stretched thin with the number of residents living there, but Akihiko would never trade it for the world.

Akihiko decided he’d use some of his extra time to grab some nice flowers for Shinjiro and a bag of candy hearts to give to Ken as a treat. He thought his plan was perfect, smiling to himself as he headed up the staircase and fumbled to pull his keys out once he made it to their apartment door.

“Wh —  _ Aki _ ?” Shinjiro’s voice came from the kitchen, sounding a mix of surprised, confused, and slightly annoyed. It made Akihiko pause, wondering what he’d done this time.

“Yeah?” he called back, kicking his shoes off.

Koromaru was the first to greet Akihiko, wagging his tail happily and barking as he bounded up expecting to be pet. Akihiko hung his book bag up and used his now free hand to rub his head and scratch behind his ears, slightly baby-talking Koromaru until he heard a clatter in the kitchen.

“You alright in there Shinji?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow as he stood up straighter and began to walk closer to peak in. Ken stopped him before he could though, his bangs pulled back with a bandana and his orange jacket sporting some dark stains on it.

“Uh,” Ken started, sounding as panicked as he looked.

It only made Akihiko more confused. “What’re you two doing in there?” he asked, a rhetorical question he really didn’t expect to have a verbal answer to. Ken tried to stop him from passing him, though Akihiko’s curiosity won out and he moved past Ken and into their small apartment kitchen.

It wasn’t the sight of Shinjiro in an apron with his sleeves pushed back and a bandana holding back his long hair that stopped Akihiko, as much as he adored that domestic sight. It also wasn’t the chocolates he was pouring into molds that stopped him either, mostly because he knew Shinjiro liked to cook.

It was the sight of a familiar purple box sitting on the counter, lid seated next to it with empty spaces as if it were waiting to be packed and the same note, though this time Akihiko saw that there was a signature on the card this time around.

Akihiko couldn’t help but laugh, the state of shock leaving him and a happy expression replacing it as Shinjiro’s face turned undeniably red at being caught red-handed.

“I thought you had class,” Shinjiro finally spoke, a grumble that matched his defeated attitude as he finished pouring into the molds and moved to tap them out.

“It got canceled,” Akihiko answered, the corners of his lips practically meeting his ears with how large he was smiling. He told Ken he was freed from his helper duties and could go get his prize from Akihiko’s school bag, which Ken was very glad to do as he left and came racing back down the hall to head to his room with Koromaru in tow and candy hearts in hand.

At that point, the chocolate had finished setting and Shinjiro was popping them out of the molds to examine, a pout still on his lips as much as he was trying to hold it down in favor of his normal neutral expression.

“Shiiiiinjiiii,” Akihiko spoke, walking closer as he drew out the I’s in his name. “I brought you flowers.”

That earned a huff in response, Shinjiro refusing to acknowledge him beyond that, and Akihiko hummed, bringing the flowers up to wave in his face.

“Stop that,” Shinjiro told him, switching which hand was holding the chocolate and using his now free hand to push Akihiko’s arm down by the wrist.

Akihiko pouted, though he listened, pulling his arm back and instead searching for a vase to stick them in. 

He decided to let Shinjiro bring up the elephant in the room when he wanted to, which he did soon after Akihiko had found a nice vase to fill with water and found it a nice place against the wall of the counter of their kitchen, somewhere that he knew Shinjiro would have to see them. 

He felt a tap on his shoulder and was greeted to the purple box being offered by his admirer.

“Here,” Shinjiro said, eyes avoiding looking at Akihiko as he found something in the corner more interesting.

Akihiko had to stop himself from chuckling again, though the goofy grin was returning to his features. “So you decided to tell me after we started dating it was you?”

“It wasn’t like I had a better time,” Shinjiro snapped, the red color returning to his cheeks. Akihiko couldn’t help the fondness welling up in him at the sight.

“I thought you didn’t care about this sorta stuff.”

Shinjiro grumbled in response, unable to come up with an argument to that, and finally, Akihiko took the box from him so he’d potentially be less stiff and awkward. It seemed to work, with Shinjiro’s shoulders finally slacking and a short sigh falling from his lips. Examining the box, Akihiko turned the card attached to it over in his hand.

“What’s with the brawling boxer and all that?” he asked, and he slightly wished he didn’t when he saw Shinjiro’s cheeks turn red again. Shinjiro was still struggling with the whole showing affection side of him, and it did make it slightly difficult when it came to things like this.

Shinjiro did provide an answer though, a quiet mumble. “It was Mitsuru’s idea.”

“So Mitsuru knew before me?” Akihiko asked, finding himself not to be offended as much as he was amused by Shinjiro’s reaction.

“Shut up.”

“That’s not an answer, Shinji.”

Shinjiro gave him a squinting look, which only made Akihiko laugh, lighthearted like the giddiness in him. “You know, you aren’t that intimidating when you’re all embarrassed,” he said, grinning.

“Shut  _ up _ .”

“Make me.”

The challenge seemed to take Shinjiro aback, though they both knew he wasn’t one to step down from one, especially one from Akihiko. He brought up his hands that were still messy with hardened chocolate and cupped his cheeks to pull him into a firm kiss which Akihiko eagerly returned.

“You can have more of that when I finish cleaning up the kitchen,” Shinjiro told him as he pulled back, making Akihiko the one to pout now.

“Oh, c’mon.”

“You can help if you want it done faster.”

Now it was Akihiko’s turn to admit defeat, setting the box down next to the flowers and moving to assist Shinjiro in cleaning up. He truly didn’t mind though, as spending time with Shinjiro was always a plus for him, and he found himself enjoying his Valentine’s Day for once after so many years of dreading it.


End file.
